PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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1945
Heavy snow fell in Plymouth on Friday January 26th 1945, following the coldest night of the winter on Monday 22nd/Tuesday 23rd, when there was 24½ degrees of frost recorded. [1] Two corvettes and the Steam Ship "Persier" were sunk in daylight on Sunday February 11th 1945 by a German U-boat between Burgh Island and the Eddystone Lighthouse. [1] On Saturday March 3rd 1945 ice creams once again went on sale at Gaumont cinemas. They had been withdrawn from sale in 1942. [2] Mr A V Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty, opened a new NAAFI club on the site of the old Royal Hotel on Friday March 16th 1945. [1] The Minister of Education, Mr R A Butler, visited the City on Monday March 19th 1945. [1] The air raid warning system was discontinued on Wednesday May 2nd 1945. [1] On Monday May 7th 1945 it was announced that Germany had surrendered unconditionally at 2.41am, French time. [1] Tuesday May 8th 1945 was VE (Victory in Europe) Day. [1] The streets lights went back on in Plymouth on Friday May 11th 1945, the first time for five and a half years. [1] Just after 7pm on the evening of Thursday May 17th 1945 two Royal Navy destroyers, HMS "Bulldog" and HMS "Narborough" approached Plymouth Sound escorting six German minesweeping trawlers and two German patrol craft, each flying the British White Ensign, all of which had been captured off Guernsey. In Cawsand Bay they stopped and were boarded by Commander R W J Martin RN, Lieutenant-Commander Harvey with a boarding party of sailors and Royal Marines, bayonets drawn, to whom the leader of the group, Oberleutenant Gronne, surrendered. Fresh orders were given to the German crews and the ships fell into line and steamed into Plymouth Sound. Crowds lined the Hoe foreshore and slopes as well as Devil's Point as they were led into Millbay Docks. The crews of the trawlers remained there under guard but the men from the patrol vessels were removed to the Royal Citadel. [2a] On Wednesday May 23rd 1945 the Prime Minister, Mr Winston Churchill, tendered his resignation to the King. [1] The Lord Mayor of London opened the Plymouth Royal and Merchant Navies Week on Saturday May 26th 1945. [1] Another arrival in Plymouth on Saturday May 26th 1945 was the German U-Boat U-1023, although with a British crew. It's captain had surrendered at Portland Naval base and had been chosen to visit ports along the south coast for public inspection to raise money for the King George's Fund for Sailors. It was moored at the east end of the inner basin in Millbay Docks and was opened to the public from 1 until 9pm from Saturday May 26th until Sunday June 3rd 1945. No admission charge was made but donations were encouraged. [2b] The Plymouth Royal and Merchant Navies Week was officially declared open by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Franl Alexander, on the afternoon of Saturday May 26th 1945 at a ceremony in the Abbey Hall. During the morning he and the Lord Mayor of Plymouth had toured the various display sites in Plymouth, visiting the German U-Boat, the exhibition at the City Museum of equipment used during the Second World War by the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and the Royal Air Force and an exhibition of landing craft engines at the Abbey Garage of Messrs W Mumford Ltd, where over 200 men and women had worked during the War overhauling, rebuilding and testing thousands of engines for landing-craft, barges and assault vessel. They also took a trip from the Mayflower Steps in a scale replica of the "Golden Hind". Admission to everything was free but patrons were reminded 'Say thanks by giving' to the King George's Fund for Sailors. The day finished with the Lord Mayor of London taking the salute at a tattoo in the Royal Citadel. [2c] On Tuesday June 5th 1945 the German U-Boat U-1023 left Millbay Docks in heavy rain and an equally heavy swell and sailed for Brixham to enable the residents of Torbay to view the vessel. [2d] On Wednesday June 13th 1945 public pleasure services were resumed in the Hamoaze when the "Swift" left Phoenix Wharf for the Royal Albert Bridge. This return to normality proved very popular and the "Lively" was put on as a relief boat. Between them they carried about 150 passengers. Permission had been given to run the trips twice daily and Wednesdays and Saturdays and it was hoped to extend the trips to Calstock, as before the War. [3] At the Plymouth City Council Works Committee meeting on Wednesday June 13th, it was agreed to reinstate the automatic traffic signals at the corner of Frankfort Street, George Street and Bedford Street and also at the corner of Old Town Street and Treville Street. The estimated cost of the whole scheme was £1,160. [4] Demobilisation started on Monday June 18th 1945. [1] The Royal Mail Lines' passenger liner "Drina" landed passengers at Plymouth on Tuesday June 19th 1945, the first liner to call for five and a half years. She had taken 16 days to cross from Argentina and carried 25 passengers and 7,000 tons of meat bound for British troops in Germany. [1] On Sunday July 1st 1945 HMAS Australia, flagship of the Australian Royal Navy, arrived at the Royal Dockyard, Devonport, for a refit. [1] The General Election was held on Thursday July 5th 1945. [1] Double Summer Time ended for the last time on Saturday July 14th 1945, when clocks were put back one hour. [1] The milk ration for non-priority consumers was cut on Sunday July 15th 1945 from 3 to 2½ pints a week. [1] The tea ration was increased on Sunday July 22nd 1945 from 2 to 2½ ounces. [1] The General Election results were announced on Thursday July 26th 1945. It was a sweeping victory for the Labour Party, with Plymouth returning three Labour Members of Parliament, Mrs L Middleton, Sutton Division; Mr H M Medland, Drake Division; and Mr Michael Foot, Devonport Division. Mr Clement Atlee became the new Prime Minister. [1] On Thursday August 2nd 1945, His Majesty King George VI met with President Truman of the United States aboard HMS Renown moored in Plymouth Sound. [1] The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Sunday August 5th 1945 with the second bomb being dropped on Nagasaki on Thursday August 9th. [1] The Minister of Fuel approved a decrease of 2d per gallon in the price of petrol on Monday August 20th 1945. [1] Japan surrendered unconditionally on Sunday September 2nd 1945. [1] Following the appointment in August 1945 of a de-commissioning officer, the Vicarage Road United States' Army Camp at Saint Budeaux was de-commissioned on Tuesday September 25th 1945. It was probably on that date the remainder of the United States Naval Advanced Amphibious Base was closed. [5] On Monday October 1st 1945 the Great Western Railway re-started the Royal Mail Postal special trains from London Paddington to Plymouth and Penzance. It had ceased running in September 1940. The inaugural train was headed by 6019 "King Henry V" and the Guard was a Plymouth man, Mr B J Yate, who lived at Long Rowden, Peverell. [6] On Sunday December 16th 1945 as young children of the congregation were placing dolls, toys and books beneath the Christmas Tree that had been put up in the tower, the bells were ringing out above them for the first time since June 1940. [6a]
A view of
Plymouth City Centre POST 1945 Bread rationing was introduced on July 21st 1946, which created an outrage as the reason behind it was to help starving Germans. There was also a fuel crisis in 1947 which brought about rationing. [7] Although the Minister of Food, Mr John Strachey, had promised that iced Christmas cakes would be available for Christmas 1946, he omitted to make any allocation of two essential ingredients, fruit and fat, so the Plymouth bakers decided that he had to ban the making of iced cakes. As mincemeat was also being rationed, to just sevens pounds for every 100 pounds of jam, the manufacture of mince pies in the City would be greatly reduced. [7a] On Saturday August 30th 1947 it was once again possible to treat your girlfriend to some chocolates during picture shows at Gaumont cinemas. They had been withdrawn in 1943. [2] Clothes were the first to be de-rationed, in March 1948, followed by bread in July 1948, jam in December 1948, petrol in May 1950, when a low-octane unbranded fuel became available, tea on October 1952, sweets in February 1953, eggs in March 1953, cream in April 1953, sugar in September 1953, butter, cheese, margarine and other cooking fats in May 1954. Rationing formally ended on July 2nd 1954, when meat products became freely available. The following day a large crowd gathered in Trafalgar Square in central London to ceremonially tear up their ration books in celebration. [8] The last German prisoners of war left the camp at Chaddlewood, Plympton, on Friday May 7th 1948, bound for a repatriation camp in Suffolk. [9] Another feature of the post-War period was National Service. The National Service Act 1948 became effective on January 1st 1949 and fixed the period of military service to eighteen months. This was followed by four years in the reserve forces. The Korean War of 1950 led to an increase in the period of service to two years but the time in the reserves was reduced by six months. National Service came to an end on December 31st 1960 and the last man, Lieutenant Richard Vaughan, was discharged from the Royal Army Pay Corps on May 13th 1963. [10] One wartime measure continued: the collection of kitchen waste. This was processed into pig food as part of the war effort and was an extremely successful municipal operation, raising a lot of money. However, the demand for the waste began to drop off in 1954 and the Council began losing money on the operation so in 1959 they started to close it down. The communal bins were withdrawn by August 1959 and the last collections from homes and factories started on October 19th 1959. [11] Sources:
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